The man known affectionately as "The Glove" used words like
"mistakes" and "improvement" as he analyzed the Beavers' 74-69 loss to UCLA. When
Payton soon noticed OSU guard Hallice Cooke trudging through the scrum of Beavers
supporters, the Hall of Famer cut off his conversation and summoned the rookie
over to a nearby trashcan.

"You've got to take care of those turnovers," Payton said as
he rested a hand on Cooke's right shoulder.

For 10 or so minutes, Payton doled out advice. He leaned back
on the trashcan as he stressed a point guard's chief responsibility: protect
the basketball. Cooke, fresh off a three-point, five-turnover dud of a game,
stood with his arms folded as he absorbed the sage words.

"That's immeasurable," associate head coach Doug Stewart
later said of Payton's conversation with Cooke. "Gary's good at telling our guys
a positive message, and then working in there a little bit of his experience as
well."

Cooke wasn't the only Beaver who could've benefitted from
Payton's wisdom. In OSU's latest letdown, nagging issues once again
overshadowed a solid half of play.

A 23-8 UCLA run after intermission quickly disintegrated the
Beavers' nine-point halftime lead. OSU, a group desperate for a statement road
victory, couldn't recover. It was left mulling over yet another missed
opportunity.

"We let one get away," said guard Roberto Nelson, who
finished with five assists and a team-high 23 points. "It's another close game
against a good team. We've got to win against a good team. It's just tough,
man."

The Beavers held the Bruins, the Pac-12's second-most
efficient attack, to a 40.7 shooting clip. It hardly mattered. After all, OSU
spent the second half pointing its proverbial shotgun directly at its foot. It
missed close-range shots. It coughed up the ball in crucial moments. It failed
to capitalize at the free-throw line.

On the night, the Beavers tallied 16 turnovers, nine errant
free throws and a single assist. Such shortcomings ultimately nudged a .500
conference record out of reach.

"They've got to get smarter," said Payton, who attended
Sunday's game with his son, OSU signee Gary Payton II. "They've got to learn
from these types of mistakes. It's been all year, and they've just got to learn
from it."

The Beavers riddled UCLA's game-changing run with six
turnovers. By the time a Jordan Adams three-pointer pushed the Bruins' lead to
59-53 with 7:19 left, OSU seemed destined for disappointment. The Bruins,
hungry to snap a two-game losing streak before a Senior Night crowd of 9,873,
is adept at polishing off home wins.

"It was the tale of two halves," Green said.

OSU (15-13, 7-9 Pac-12) used an inspired 10-minute stretch to overcome a sloppy
start. After a Norman Powell dunk seized a four-point UCLA (22-7, 11-5) edge midway through
the first half, the Beavers ratcheted up the defensive pressure and attacked
the basket. They scored 24 of the frame's final 34 points.

At the break, players reminded each other that the
high-powered Bruins could easily present a heavy blow. They needed to weather it
and punch back.

"We tried," forward Devon Collier said, "but it wasn't good enough."

The loss forced the Beavers into a precarious position. With
just two regular-season games remaining, they're third-to-last in the Pac-12
standings. They're left with two ways to stake a spot in any meaningful
postseason discussion: win home matchups against the Arizona schools or make a deep
conference tournament run.

"We have to figure it out fast," Cooke said. "We've just got
to all bear down and really focus."

After running through his laundry list of tips Sunday,
Payton leaned in to Cooke, whispered a few final words and dapped him. The pupil thanked his mentor, smiled and walked toward a horde of fans and
teammates.